Who is able to join CF Insights?

Membership is offered exclusively to community foundations, and members are asked to sign a confidentiality agreement restricting the sharing of CF Insights data.

What foundations are eligible to become CF Insights members?

The CF Insights community includes organizations considered community foundations by the Council on Foundations. Members must be tax-exempt public charities dedicated to serving and improving the quality of life within a specific geography, and eligible to apply for COF’s National Standards.

Adhering to this consistent definition is intended to ensure data comparability for all members.

Who owns the data that is collected?

Data contributed by a community foundation remains the property of that foundation. In addition, COF has agreed to share its own community foundation data with CF Insights. The combined data CF Insights compiles in its database is owned by Foundation Center subject to its data-sharing agreement with COF and oversight by the CF Insights Advisory Board. Foundation Center may employ this data for analysis and confidential use as part of consulting services offered to community foundations. CF Insights uses the data in a similar manner and will publish research reports on trends and best practices with Advisory Board approval of general content and subject matter.

Who has access to CF Insights data?

CF Insights provides both free content and content that is restricted to members-only. Important field-wide research is disseminated to the field as a whole, particularly the resources supported through CF Insights’ partnership with the Community Foundations Leadership Team. Peer-identified comparative reports are limited to members, along with custom research reports based on the data. In addition, foundations have the opportunity to access additional information and services through CF Insights consulting services and project support.